New iPhone 6 Rumor Hints at Feature Enabling Tech

A new iPhone 6 rumor suggests Apple suppliers may already be producing a processor which we expect will enable new iPhone 6 and iOS 8 features. Additionally the report claims that an iPhone with a larger 4.7-inch display and a higher resolution is expected.

Apple worked with Samsung to deliver an iPhone processor in 2013, but the new report suggests the two companies may finally be splitting apart when it comes to the brain and heart of the iPhone 6.

The Ctee Business Times reports that Apple is working with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) to make a 64-bit Apple A8 processor with quad-core graphics, which will go into an iPhone 6 with a bigger and better screen. This is not the first time Apple and TSMC are rumored to work together on a new iPhone processor. We heard this in September 2013 and in April 2013.

This report also claims that TSMC is already producing the iPhone 6 processor with shipments expected to peak in the middle of April. This is earlier than rumors pegged the production of the iPhone chip in 2013, which could help Apple shore up supplies of this critical component for a smoother release with fewer stores running out of stock.

In 2013 we heard multiple reports that Apple would quit Samsung and switch to this new company to make the processor in the iPhone 5s, but that did not happen. When the iPhone 5s release arrived consumers purchased an Apple phone with a Samsung produced processor, not that it mattered much to the average iPhone owner.

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This new processor may be using a new smaller 20nm chip, which isn’t that exciting to hear about. The more exciting information is what Apple can do with an Apple A8 processor and how this new chip might free up Johny Ive and Apple to deliver a new iPhone 6 design that is thinner or lighter or if it can deliver a iPhone 6 battery life bump compared to the iPhone 5s.

Apple A8 rumors swirl.

We could see some hints at the capabilities when we get our first look at iOS 8. We expect to see iOS 8 this summer at WWDC, an Apple developer convention where the company previously shared iOS 7 and iOS 6 for the first time. The company is mum on iOS 8, but it promises an iOS 7.1 update is in the works.

Another interesting part of this report is that it claims the iPhone 6 display is improving in two areas. So far most iPhone 6 rumors focus on a larger screen from a 4.5-inch to 4.7-inch display on a smaller model and a larger iPhone 6 with a display bigger than 5-inches. We’ve heard that it may feature a Sapphire cover that is resistant to scratches and that it could use new Quantum Dot technology to deliver a better look, but only a few rumors discuss a higher resolution.

The iPhone 5s offers a 4-inch display with an 1136 x 640 resolution while most larger screen Android devices opt for a 1920 x 1080 resolution. If Apple increases the size of the iPhone 6 display it would make sense to see a higher resolution and possibly changes in iOS 8 to show more icon rows or columns on a larger screen. By increasing the resolution with the size Apple could achieve a similar or higher pixel per inch rating to the 326-ppi that the iPhone 5s Retina screen offers. Increasing the size only would lower the overall quality o the screen which is not something Apple patterns suggest is in the cards.

This early iPhone 6 part production could help Apple prepare for a smoother iPhone 6 release. There are many other parts and always a chance of a delay or hangup with a new design, but it is in Apple’s interest to work towards a release that doesn’t leave consumers waiting weeks to buy a new iPhone.

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The iPhone 6 release date is currently rumored for summer or fall, but based on information from the Apple’s Sapphire producing partner the fall is a much better bet. Other iPhone 6 rumors point to an improved camera that may come with a larger sensor or simply a better sensor.

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The same sources also claimed that Apple might bring the iPhone 6 to market as early as June. That’s a date which could raise a few eyebrows given that in recent years Apple has been releasing its handsets around September.

On the other hand we’ve heard the June rumour before and Apple does host its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June, which would be an ideal time to reveal a new phone – which could mean this new technology will be used for the much-vaunted iPhablet Apple apparently has in the works.

It’s worth pointing out that these leaks have nothing to do with the fake images that appeared earlier, even though they too suggested a slimmer design.

Apple has a history of making its phones slimmer and lighter over time and it’s long been rumoured that the new iPhone might have a bigger screen, so none of this comes as too much of a surprise.

The supply chain sources also referred to the next iPad, claiming that it would be larger than the iPad Air, probably coming in at 12 inches and that it too would have a smaller LED backlight module to keep it slim and light.